Know Your Limits

We all know how dinner with friends or a night at the ballpark can lead to too many drinks and serious, even tragic consequences. The scary truth is that we’re not always aware that we’ve had too much to drink. Everyone reacts differently to alcohol, depending on factors such as metabolism, body size, muscle mass and food consumption. To help us understand the effects of alcohol, we tested BACtrack.
BACtrack is a personal breathalyzer that provides an estimate of blood alcohol content. The B70 is a personal screening device and the S75 Pro is a professional version. BACtrack CEO Keith Nothacker founded the company to give consumers a way to measure alcohol levels with the same technology that law enforcement and healthcare providers use to screen for alcohol. Making the technology available for personal use provides a way to educate people who are consuming or providing alcohol. A host can use BACtrack to persuade a guest to accept a ride home. Parents can use it to help teach kids about the dangers of alcohol and enforce zero-tolerance alcohol policies.
No one intends to drink too much and get behind the wheel of a car or a boat, or go for a swim. But it happens. Alcohol affects our bodies and impairs our judgment. Gaining a better understanding of our limits can prevent bad decisions and save lives.

BACtrack

Breathalyzer

Know Your Limits

We all know how dinner with friends or a night at the ballpark can lead to too many drinks and serious, even tragic consequences. The scary truth is that we’re not always aware that we’ve had too much to drink. Everyone reacts differently to alcohol, depending on factors such as metabolism, body size, muscle mass and food consumption. To help us understand the effects of alcohol, we tested BACtrack.
BACtrack is a personal breathalyzer that provides an estimate of blood alcohol content. The B70 is a personal screening device and the S75 Pro is a professional version. BACtrack CEO Keith Nothacker founded the company to give consumers a way to measure alcohol levels with the same technology that law enforcement and healthcare providers use to screen for alcohol. Making the technology available for personal use provides a way to educate people who are consuming or providing alcohol. A host can use BACtrack to persuade a guest to accept a ride home. Parents can use it to help teach kids about the dangers of alcohol and enforce zero-tolerance alcohol policies.
No one intends to drink too much and get behind the wheel of a car or a boat, or go for a swim. But it happens. Alcohol affects our bodies and impairs our judgment. Gaining a better understanding of our limits can prevent bad decisions and save lives.

Grommet Launch Conversation

Grommet Launch Conversation

Keith

I started my company after realizing the value of understanding how alcohol affects the body, since it affects each individual differently. Breath alcohol testing technology has become so advanced that what was previously only used by law enforcement is now affordable and available to consumers -- which is very powerful. You can now get real-time results of your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) accurately and easily to understand how alcohol affects your body, and in order to make smart decisions.

I look forward to answering any questions you may have for me about breathalyzers or our products.

Jodi

7/22/2010 12:23 PM

Great idea using this type of device to convice your friends to accept a ride home. I'm curious, how much time should you wait between testing people? Also, what is the difference in accuracy between the two types offered?

Kate

7/22/2010 12:28 PM

Some days I can have a glass of wine and feel its effects right away and other days not. On each of those days would I see a different reading after the same amount of alcohol? It's fascinating to me how a device can analyze 'air' could breathalyzers be developed to analyze other internal issues?

Keith – Special Guest

7/22/2010 12:47 PM

Jodi - Thank you for your questions. There's no wait time between testing people - you can test people back-to-back to back, and testing is most accurate if the subject has not consumed food or alcohol 15 minutes prior to testing. This wait time is to ensure that there is no residual mouth alcohol and the sample contains pure lung air.

As for accuracy, both models are FDA cleared and offer consistent results. The S75 Pro uses a fuel cell sensor, the same technology used by law enforcement, so it will be more accurate. %BAC readings on the S75 Pro are also more precise since they're displayed in the thousandth decimal place (i.e., 0.032%) versus the hundredth (i.e., 0.03%).

Keith – Special Guest

7/22/2010 1:07 PM

Hi Kate - Many factors can influence a person's BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) in addition to the amount of alcohol consumed. I've found that recent meals can have a huge influence. Some people can drink a beer after a large meal and show 0.00 %BAC. That same person could drink a beer on an empty stomach and be 0.04 %BAC. Other factors like weight and muscle mass are important too.

Keith – Special Guest

7/22/2010 1:14 PM

Further to Kate's post, we do frequently get questions from parents asking if we manufacture a "marijuana breathalyzer." To my knowledge, this does not exist in commercial form. The biology of testing for alcohol vs. drugs is very different. However, I wouldn't be surprised if more diagnostic devices are developed in the future that use lung air instead of blood or hair. I need to get working on our next product line!

Gayle

7/22/2010 1:46 PM

Are there disposable mouth pieces with this equipment and if so how much are they?

Katherine – Grommet Team

7/22/2010 1:47 PM

Yes Keith - get working on that!!

@Jodi - I agree this would be the perfect tool to help your guests make good decisions. No guessing or inferring needed!

Keith – Special Guest

7/22/2010 1:56 PM

The BACtrack B70 does not require the use of a mouthpiece. Just hold it close to your mouth and exhale into the sensor. This makes it very easy to share with multiple users. Mouthpieces are available for the other models like the BACtrack S75 Pro. They are well under a dollar per mouthpiece and can be reused as needed.

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BACtrack

Breathalyzer

Know Your Limits

We all know how dinner with friends or a night at the ballpark can lead to too many drinks and serious, even tragic consequences. The scary truth is that we’re not always aware that we’ve had too much to drink. Everyone reacts differently to alcohol, depending on factors such as metabolism, body size, muscle mass and food consumption. To help us understand the effects of alcohol, we tested BACtrack.

BACtrack is a personal breathalyzer that provides an estimate of blood alcohol content. The B70 is a personal screening device and the S75 Pro is a professional version. BACtrack CEO Keith Nothacker founded the company to give consumers a way to measure alcohol levels with the same technology that law enforcement and healthcare providers use to screen for alcohol. Making the technology available for personal use provides a way to educate people who are consuming or providing alcohol. A host can use BACtrack to persuade a guest to accept a ride home. Parents can use it to help teach kids about the dangers of alcohol and enforce zero-tolerance alcohol policies.

No one intends to drink too much and get behind the wheel of a car or a boat, or go for a swim. But it happens. Alcohol affects our bodies and impairs our judgment. Gaining a better understanding of our limits can prevent bad decisions and save lives.Read MoreRead Less

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Grommet Launch Conversation

Keith

I started my company after realizing the value of understanding how alcohol affects the body, since it affects each individual differently. Breath alcohol testing technology has become so advanced that what was previously only used by law enforcement is now affordable and available to consumers -- which is very powerful. You can now get real-time results of your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) accurately and easily to understand how alcohol affects your body, and in order to make smart decisions.

I look forward to answering any questions you may have for me about breathalyzers or our products.

Jodi

7/22/2010 12:23 PM

Great idea using this type of device to convice your friends to accept a ride home. I'm curious, how much time should you wait between testing people? Also, what is the difference in accuracy between the two types offered?

Kate

7/22/2010 12:28 PM

Some days I can have a glass of wine and feel its effects right away and other days not. On each of those days would I see a different reading after the same amount of alcohol? It's fascinating to me how a device can analyze 'air' could breathalyzers be developed to analyze other internal issues?

Keith – Special Guest

7/22/2010 12:47 PM

Jodi - Thank you for your questions. There's no wait time between testing people - you can test people back-to-back to back, and testing is most accurate if the subject has not consumed food or alcohol 15 minutes prior to testing. This wait time is to ensure that there is no residual mouth alcohol and the sample contains pure lung air.

As for accuracy, both models are FDA cleared and offer consistent results. The S75 Pro uses a fuel cell sensor, the same technology used by law enforcement, so it will be more accurate. %BAC readings on the S75 Pro are also more precise since they're displayed in the thousandth decimal place (i.e., 0.032%) versus the hundredth (i.e., 0.03%).

Keith – Special Guest

7/22/2010 1:07 PM

Hi Kate - Many factors can influence a person's BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) in addition to the amount of alcohol consumed. I've found that recent meals can have a huge influence. Some people can drink a beer after a large meal and show 0.00 %BAC. That same person could drink a beer on an empty stomach and be 0.04 %BAC. Other factors like weight and muscle mass are important too.

Keith – Special Guest

7/22/2010 1:14 PM

Further to Kate's post, we do frequently get questions from parents asking if we manufacture a "marijuana breathalyzer." To my knowledge, this does not exist in commercial form. The biology of testing for alcohol vs. drugs is very different. However, I wouldn't be surprised if more diagnostic devices are developed in the future that use lung air instead of blood or hair. I need to get working on our next product line!

Gayle

7/22/2010 1:46 PM

Are there disposable mouth pieces with this equipment and if so how much are they?

Katherine – Grommet Team

7/22/2010 1:47 PM

Yes Keith - get working on that!!

@Jodi - I agree this would be the perfect tool to help your guests make good decisions. No guessing or inferring needed!

Keith – Special Guest

7/22/2010 1:56 PM

The BACtrack B70 does not require the use of a mouthpiece. Just hold it close to your mouth and exhale into the sensor. This makes it very easy to share with multiple users. Mouthpieces are available for the other models like the BACtrack S75 Pro. They are well under a dollar per mouthpiece and can be reused as needed.